Customer Experiences and Garage Cabinets

Recently, I had three customer experiences, and they couldn't have been more different. Pull up a chair and join me on a recap through customer experience hell. But first, did you know that Garage Condos created "National Garage Day" five years ago to be celebrated on April 26th? According to National Archives, "After the traditional promotion of spring cleaning, National Garage Day is intended to promote and encourage a favorable attitude toward productivity as it pertains to one's organization and use of their garage. Since a garage is the place where many pursue hobbies, build projects, clean and store collectibles as well as entertain, a day of recognition seems fitting."

I wanted to spruce up my garage, in other words, clean out all the useless stuff that has accumulated over the years, such as, brooms, paint cans, holiday wreaths, and a myriad of other stuff that is so dirty that I have no idea what it is. But after cleaning out the garage, I realized that the stuff I wanted to keep could go into cabinets and stay hidden. And then, voila, I would have a beautiful garage for my cars!

But first, I needed some estimates from cabinet companies. So, I did my online research (thanks, Google!) and set up on-site visits with three local companies.

The first company's rep arrived in an unmarked car. No, not undercover police, but no promotional signage on the car. Okay, I thought, but what about a business card? I asked for one, and the lady said she had none. Strike two. Then, after showing a picture of my ideas for the garage cabinets and discussing size and color, the lady said she would need about 30 minutes to check her cost sheets and several binders of papers, and nearly 90 minutes later, she showed me her estimate. She said her company was having a 50 percent off discount until the end of the month, so her point was that I would need to move quickly to take advantage of the discount. Then, she showed me her estimate for the cabinets. When I said that the cost seemed high, she asked if she should call her boss to ask for another discount. I was speechless because I was not going to barter back and forth. I said thanks (strike three), and she left.

Despite calling to inform me, the second company's rep arrived 30 minutes late. She also arrived in a nondescript car without any promotional signage, and she also said she did not have a business card. She looked at my photo idea for the garage cabinets and then said she would get back to me with her design ideas and an estimate.

Neither company's rep sent an email to thank me for my time. Neither company's rep told me when I would receive a written estimate. 

Then, I met with the third company's rep who was actually the company's owner, Cary Llewelyn of Premier Garage of Sherman Oaks. He provided his business card. He offered to provide references for me to call, as well as the link to his online reviews and Instagram profile. He mentioned that a neighbor had used his services and offered to set up a visit so that I could see his work in person. He answered questions on site, and BEFORE LEAVING MY HOUSE, set up a Zoom meeting (that would feature a 3-D model of his ideas) for a specific day and a specific time to review and discuss his design and estimate.

Two days later, I finally heard back from the first two companies. The first company's rep called me and asked if I had decided to move forward with her company, and I asked her "Where is the written estimate?" She responded, "It is against our company's policy to provide written estimates." WOW.

The second company's rep sent an email 48 hours after meeting with me, but by then, this should come as no surprise, I had decided to move forward with the third company. Her supervisor actually called me when I completed her company's survey, which, by the way, should never have been sent so closely in time as the estimate (what if I had any questions?). I explained all the negative aspects of the visit, and at least, the supervisor agreed that the employee should have provided a business card.

So, what can we learn from these interactions?

(1) Customer experience marketing may be a C-Suite topic, but that doesn't mean that it always travels downward to the people on the frontlines (aka, salespeople).

(2) Some brands simply don't care about positive customer experiences.

(3) Consistency is not important when it comes to all customer touchpoints.

I shared these experiences with customer experience expert and author Shep Hyken (@hyken on Twitter/X), who has graciously appeared on my blog many times. He said, "Great service isn't complicated – some of the basics include respect, professionalism, and follow-through. The third company nailed it. They took control of the process, set expectations, and properly followed up. The other two? They over-promised and under-delivered, eroded credibility and trust, and disrespected your time. Who would you rather do business with? (That's a rhetorical question.) Any business that needs customers – and that's all of us – should recognize the basics of customer service, which should be common sense, but unfortunately, as you can tell from the description of the first two companies, is not so common."

On a final note, around 7pm on the evening that the first two reps visited my garage, there was a delivery of beautiful flowers at my front door. For a fleeting moment, I thought one of the cabinet vendors had sent the flowers with a message that read, "Thank you for your time today. I hope my company can earn your business." But alas, it was not meant to be...the flowers had been delivered to me by mistake – they were for my neighbor.

Image Credit: Motor City Garages.